The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed officials to prevent dumping of solid waste in water bodies or their burning along road sides.
Disposing of a suo motu public interest litigation petition based on a photo feature published by “The Hindu,” a Bench comprising Justice R. Banumathi and Justice G. M. Akbar Ali directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials to monitor and ensure that municipal solid waste was not dumped in water bodies or burnt on roadsides. It also instructed the Madurai Corporation Commissioner and Collector to ensure strict enforcement of Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000.
Earlier, the court had directed the Assistant Director of Panchayats to submit a report on the steps taken to keep all local bodies in the district clean and hygienic. In his counter affidavit, the Corporation Commissioner said that steps had been taken to remove garbage in canals connecting Melamadai and Sadasiva Nagar and tractors were used to remove garbage near Pandikoil. The president of Samayanallur panchayat said that third parties that dumped plastic waste had been warned of stringent action. The Collector, in a report, said that he had instructed the Assistant Director of Panchayats to follow norms pertaining to removal of garbage and plastic waste in all 420 village panchayats.
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The Assistant Director of Panchayats informed the court that suitable action would be taken to prevent dumping of waste in all the panchayts in Madurai district. The officials said that garbage dumped on the bunds of the Vaigai had been removed.
The judges, while disposing of the petition, also directed the officials to ensure that solid waste was not dumped or burnt in the Vaigai and other water bodies and on road sides. The suo motu PIL petition was based on a photo feature carried by “The Hindu” on dumping and burning of solid waste in the city, near Samayanallur and Pandikoil.